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We all have our guilty pleasures, and Queen Elizabeth II definitely had a few, from her favorite comfort food to her pre-noon cocktail . (Hey, when you’re the queen, you make your own rules!) But as it turns out, she also had quite the sweet tooth. And according to one of her ladies-in-waiting, the late queen loved it so much that she kept a secret stash hidden from the other royals in her household, including her husband, Prince Philip. So was it a slice of cake? Some figgy pudding? A fancy French pastry we can’t properly pronounce? None of the above! Read on for the big reveal. Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more royals, humor, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long. Which sweet treat did Queen Elizabeth hide from her family? Chocolate! Lady Pamela Hicks, the queen’s cousin and former lady-in-waiting, revealed that Elizabeth always had a box with her. And, it seems, Her Majesty wasn’t too keen on sharing it with anyone. “She does have her ...

There’s a special kind of thrill when an Olympic announcer calls out an athlete’s hometown and you realize it’s yours. Suddenly, every race, every run, every routine feels personal. The Winter Olympics always bring national pride, but hometown pride hits different. It’s bragging rights, group chats blowing up, and that quiet thought of: They started where I did. That’s part of why people are so curious about where Team USA’s Olympians come from. It makes the 2026 Winter Games feel closer to home and turns athletes into neighbors, not just names on a roster. Fans want to know how many Americans are competing, how to look up where athletes are from and which cities and states are quietly becoming Olympic talent hubs. Luckily, there’s a way to see all of that in one place, from total U.S. competitors to which hometowns and states produced the most Olympians this year. Read on to see if any Team USA athletes are from your area. Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for ...

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and there’s something about this time of year that makes us all crave a little more romance in our lives. That’s why our editors curated a Spotify playlist of our favorite swoonworthy songs. Some picks capture real, grown-up  love —the kind that’s intimate, steady and about choosing someone every day—while others are unapologetically romantic, celebrating loving someone fully, imperfections and all. Our list features beloved artists spanning generations, from Stevie Wonder and Taylor Swift to Ben Harper and Edith Piaf, so there’s something here for every vibe you’re looking for. Scroll down, and press play on love! Why trust us At  Reader’s Digest , we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as ...

Dashing out into the chilly winter cold to start your car is unpleasant enough, but it’s even worse when you get there and can’t get in. No, we’re not talking about forgetting your car keys, though that would be bad enough during a deep freeze. The absolute worst is when you get to your car and the door won’t even open. “Anyone who has lived somewhere where it snows has had that moment of panic where you’re pulling on your door handle , and it feels like the door itself is welded shut,” says Duane “Doc” Watson, an auto industry veteran with more than 45 years of mechanical experience who is now a technical trainer at Bosch Mobility Aftermarket. What should you do in this situation? Many of us have no clue. When temperatures plunge this time of year, desperation can push drivers battling a stuck car door to take some pretty drastic measures—but many common tactics are ill-advised and could do more harm than good. Ahead, Watson breaks down why car doors (and locks) freeze and what to ...

The windswept moors, the doomed passion, the unrequited yearning—it’s hard not to get sucked into the tragic love story of Wuthering Heights . Many a teenage girl, myself included, read Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel for English class or for pleasure, then promptly declared it one of the greatest romances ever written . I admit I even used the famous line, “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same,” on my wedding program. It’s the greatest love story … at least according to the trailer for the 2026 film, which hits theaters on Feb. 13, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The latest in a long history of cinematic retellings, the upcoming film—written and directed by self-proclaimed Wuthering Heights fangirl Emerald Fennell—is a big, bold, sexy take on the intense relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine. And it’s about as controversial as Brontë’s classic . There’s been an outcry over casting. There are concerns about the anachronistic costumes and soundtrack. And, of ...

There’s nothing like waking up to see freshly fallen snow blanketing the landscape. Everything is quiet and still. And—at least before the car tracks and footprints spoil the picture—the word seems sparkling white. We can all agree that the snow is white, right? That may be the consensus, but it’s not accurate. That’s right: Snow isn’t actually white. But what color is it? We spoke to Matt Sitkowski, PhD, a meteorologist and the science editor-in-chief of the Weather Channel, to find out what color snow really is, why it looks white and what kind of science magic is going on here. Get this: There’s a perfectly logical and scientific explanation for the weird winter phenomenon . Read on to find out the truth. Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more weather news, humor, travel, tech and fun facts all week long. Wait, snow isn’t really white? Surprise! That snow-covered town may look like it’s blanketed in white powder, but technically, it’s not. That’s be...

I admit that I am not one to strike up conversations with strangers. As an introverted writer, I prefer the written word to the spoken one. I like to use the self-checkout lane at the grocery store and have even gone so far as to choose doctors based on whether they use online scheduling. That said, I do try and smile or give a simple hello when I pass someone or enter a room—it’s just good manners, isn’t it?—and I’m often surprised at the number of acquaintances I have who will pass me by without any acknowledgement of my existence. These little moments with strangers and others are called microconnections, and although we usually brush them off, they have positive impacts on our mental health—and beyond. “ Talking to strangers has benefits for you, it has benefits for the person you’re talking to, and it has benefits for the community,” says Gillian Sandstrom, PhD, an associate professor of the psychology of kindness at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. Society is s...